In the Line of Duty

Throughout the past few months the nation’s image of the uniformed police officer has been tarnished. Stories of excessive use of force, sometimes resulting in death, have placed our nation’s officers in a rather unfavorable light. Cities across the United States have responded quite loudly through various forms of protests and in certain cases riots.

To be sure, there are instances each and every day where officers respond accordingly and use only the necessary force to serve and protect. There is, however, no scoreboard when it comes to a wrongful death at the hands of law enforcement. The illegal and unjust actions of some effect the reputations of even the most upright officers. As a society it is important that we recognize that no one is above the law, police officers included. Even the most respectful among us benefit from investigating whether law enforcement has acted in accordance with the law.

If you or someone you love has been injured by those charged with your protection, a San Diego personal injury attorney can give voice to your injury. Our justice system is intended to hold those who injure others responsible for the compensation of the injured. Contact Injury Trial Lawyers today and together we can hold our officers accountable.

Mr. Rawshannehad

In April of this year a 42-year-old man named Fridoon Rawshannehad had an encounter with an officer named Neal Browder, a 27-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department. The officer was dispatched in response to a 911 call reporting that a man was threatening people with a knife. Officer Browder believed that Rawshannehad matched the description of the man described by the caller.

According to the officer, Rawshannehad advanced on the officer even after being given commands to stop. Recently, a video was turned over from a witness showing the encounter. According to this witness, “I support the police but this was wrong. This guy shouldn’t have been shot based on what I saw on the video. The guy was walking, just normal… If he said, “stop,” that’s all he said. He just opened the door, and said, ‘Stop,’ and shot.” The officer did not turn on the body camera he was wearing prior to the shooting.

The San Diego Police Department Responds

Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman has requested an additional $2.1 million for 400 more body cameras for the San Diego PD. In response to this shooting, the chief said, “In any officer-involved shooting we conduct a very methodical, comprehensive, and thorough investigation.” In addition, a change was made to the San Diego’s body camera policy. As opposed to requiring officers to turn on the camera upon arrival at the scene, they will now require officers to turn on the video prior to arrival. The Chief referred to herself as a “huge proponent” of the tiny, shirt-mounted body cameras. Department policy requires that most interactions with the public be recorded aside from those that prevent privacy concerns.